Trail bike riding - Video transcripts
Throttle control
Opening title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
Motorcycle riding instructor, stands behind motorbike in bush setting talking about correct throttle operation for controlled acceleration:
Everyone thinks they know how to turn a throttle; it's the thing you grab like this and twist around to make you go faster. However, it's important like any of our skills, that we get the technique right. And the correct technique is called the doorknob technique. To see how it works,
Close up of hand demonstrating twisting action:
Put your hand out in front of you and pretend you're going to open a door, that is, a door with a doorknob and we do it like this, just with wrist movement with very little elbow movement and it's the same when we twist a dirt bike's throttle
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
We're just using the door knob technique and not dropping our elbow down like this. It helps us to maintain control.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
Once we've got the technique mastered, it's important to understand that the throttle, just like all our other controls, is not an on off switch and we can meter in just the right amount of power from the motor to the back wheel as we want in the particular circumstance.
That's really important at times when trying to accelerate. When you accelerate too hard you'll quite often get wheel spin which actually slows you down and can cause damage to the tracks and that's something that we want to avoid so it's important to practice using the throttle just in small increments and
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) rolling on just as much power as you need in the given situation.
Group of motorcycle riders, in bush setting demonstrate riding technique:
Hand in hand with correct throttle control goes correct gear selection. It's important that we don't ride round in too low a gear
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) where the motor will be too snappy and too responsive and effectively seem like it has too much power. This can cause unwanted wheel spin or unwanted wheel stands and a resultant loss of control
Return to; Group of motorcycle riders, in bush setting demonstrate riding technique:
So we want to make sure that we're in a slightly higher gear than sometimes we might think is right. Where the power of the motor is smoothed out.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) and that allows us to motor on in control without too many hassles.
Static shot of Motorcycle rider sitting on motorbike:
When we're accelerating, the most commonly used body position is called the seated attack position. That's where we sit on the seat and actually use our bottom to hold on
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) to grip the seat so we don't get pulled back by the forces of the motor fulling us forwards.
Close shot hands holding handle bars:
It's also important that we keep our elbows up and use the door knob position to turn the throttle.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
However, if the track gets a little bit rough, sometimes you might need to stand.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
You don't want the seat hitting bumps and then banging up hitting you in the bum because it can unsettle you on bike. So if you stand up, you keep your bum away from the seat, the suspension can go up and down as much as it wants and you can still maintain control. In fact accelerating is one of the few times that we actually sit down to ride a motor bike in the bush. You've got much more control if you stand up or at least 90% of the riding that you'll do. That way you're able to use your body to help absorb some of the bumps and it can help you maintain control of the bike through a variety of different track surfaces.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
If the throttle is used correctly,
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
not only will it help keep the trails in good knick, it will help keep you upright and it will reduce the noise which is dirt bike riders' number one enemy.
Closer shot of motorcycle instructor:
So that's it for this week guys, ride safe.
Closing title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
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Braking
Opening title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
Motorcycle riding instructor, stands beside motorbike in bush setting talking about correct brake operation for controlled slowing and stopping:
It’s important that all riders understand that brakes, like all our controls, aren’t simply on off switches and that we can feed in the amount of power that best suits our circumstances on each different occasion where braking.
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
The general idea is to stop as quickly as possible you should use only enough brake so that the wheels slow you down but don’t lock up and start to skid.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
The minute your wheels actually start to skid, they’re actually less effective at slowing you down,
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) so you want to use just enough brakes so that you slow down in a controlled manner but don’t skid at all. The front brake generally is by far the most effective brake on a motor cycle, particularly going down hill when the weight of the bike is pushing down on the front wheel giving it much more traction.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
Conversely, going down hill, the rear wheel actually has very little braking effect and
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) in fact can work against you by being easy to lock up which can then cause lack of control.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
Back brakes can be quite tricky to use properly. It’s really important to use a back brake in a
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) smooth and controlled manner. The last thing we want to do is lock up the back brake
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) so that your rear wheel either skids or it chatters, it upsets the balance of the suspension,
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) can throw you sideways and can cause a loss of control. So we need to be really smooth when applying the back brakes.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
If your brakes lock up and it’s either front or rear, what you need to do is release your pressure on the lever and then
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) smoothly reapply the brakes so that you can continue to stop. You want to avoid jerky,
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) grabbing motions where you let go of the brake quickly and then
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) grab another handful or foot full of brake.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
When you’re braking, your weight will tend to be thrown forwards and it’s important that you brace yourself a bit by having your elbows up
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) and bend a little bit and so you can brace yourself against the pressures driving you forwards. It’s important to learn to brake in a smooth and controlled manner, not only so that you can enjoy your riding better and be safer but it also minimises the damages to the tracks off road.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
Tracks can be susceptible to damage easily by people hooning around, improperly using brakes,
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) particularly the rear brake and doing big skids. That can lead to track degradation and that’s one thing we like to avoid.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
This tip is aimed at anyone who rides any sort of motor bike.
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
Any idiot can go fast but the ones who can slow down safely so that they stay alive, they’re the ones who know what’s going on so really, all of us need to be able to
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) use our brakes in a safe and sensible manner so that we can continue to enjoy riding our bikes into the future.
Closing title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
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Cornering
Opening title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
Motorcycle riding instructor, stands behind motorbike in bush setting talking about correct throttle operation for controlled acceleration:
There’s a couple of things we need to talk about today. One is the technique of how to ride a motor bike around a corner which most of us should be on top of and there’s another important one and that’s just how dangerous corners themselves can be.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
First up, let’s look at some cornering technique. It’s important that we come into the corner in a smooth and controlled manner and set ourselves up well right at the start. We need to be braking in a smooth and controlled manner. We need to select the right gear to go around the corner and we need to choose the most suitable line
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) that’s smooth and not rough so that we can get around the corner safely.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
At mid corner, there’s a number of things we need to do. Some of us like to sit down if the terrain is not too rough. We need to start smoothly rolling on the throttle and accelerating nicely. A lot of riders like to stick their inside leg out, that helps with balance.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
We lean the bike over so that the bike starts to turn.
Group of motorcycle riders, in bush setting demonstrate riding technique:
We need to look where we want to go. I understand you might be thinking that this sounds pretty simple - after all, we all can get around a corner on a motor bike.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
However, it’s my experience a lot of us make common mistakes and it’s really good to revisit these individual skills to make sure you’re doing the right thing. If you’re not sure you’re doing the right thing, get someone to watch you because it’s really hard to pick up yourself, whether you’re making skill errors.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
It’s important that we learn to corner smoothly, both from a control point of view and to look after the track surface. If we come into the corner too hot and get a bit sideways, not only are we damaging the track but we’re endangering ourselves by affecting our control of the bike.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
It’s important that you try and get all your braking out of the way in a straight line before you actually start tipping into the corner. That way your tyres have got the maximum amount of grip and you can come in nice and smoothly.
Motorcycle rider & 4 wheel driver in bush setting demonstrate a blind corner situation:
Now blind corners are worth thinking about because they’re really dangerous. They’re the ones where you can’t see far around the corner and who knows what’s coming around the corner at you.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) Some horse riders, bush walkers, a 4 wheel drive or a log truck. And who wants to end up as a bonnet emblem on a Mack truck?
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider & 4 wheel driver in bush setting demonstrate a blind corner situation:
So it’s really important that we give ourselves the best opportunity to see as far around the corner as we can. The worst sort of blind corner is tight right hand blind corner. What we want to do is make sure that we stay as far to the left of the track as we can which opens up our viewing angle and allows us to see as far as possible around the corner. Also it’s important to keep your speed down a bit so if someone does come unexpectedly the other way, you’re able to take evasive action and slow down to avoid a crash.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
I’d say it’s all about riding to suit the conditions. If you’ve got a slippery track or a blind corner or any other sort of obstacle or condition that means
Motorcycle rider & 4 wheel driver in bush setting demonstrate a blind corner situation:
(contnued) that you should slow down a bit so that if someone’s coming the other way you can stop and avoid them, so it’s important that we only ride as fast as it is safe to do.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
So overall, in relation to blind corners, it’s important not only that we get our technique right, but that we maximise our viewing potential and see as far around each corner as
Motorcycle rider & 4 wheel driver in bush setting demonstrate a blind corner situation:
(continued) we can and only ride as fast as it is safe to do so, so you can avoid someone coming the other way.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
That’s about it for this week, until next time, ride safe.
Closing title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
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Hill climbing
Opening title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
Motorcycle riding instructor, stands behind motorbike in bush setting talking about hill climbing and safety:
Hill climbing can be extremely challenging and brings a lot of us unstuck and it’s no wonder when hills can be steep, rough, rocky and slippery all at the same time. So we need to make sure we get our techniques perfect and approach the hills with the right attitude.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
The Australian bush is full of killer hills that are really difficult to get up and that’s where a lot of riders come unstuck so we have to get our technique spot on to give us the best chance of getting to the top safely with minimal damage to the track. Don’t rush into it and just blast straight up the hill.
Mid shot of Motorcycle rider and (with on-screen graphic) demonstrating riding technique:
At the bottom, what you want to do is have a look at the hill and check out where all the bad obstacles are, there might be rocks or logs or sticks in the way that you might want to ride around. Getting halfway up the hill is not the place to find out that there’s something in your way that you can’t get around.
Group of motorcycle riders, in bush setting demonstrate riding technique:
Perhaps as a gauge you can use other riders to see how then went if there’s riders with you and they’re going up the hill first. Have a look at where they go and see how successful their line was.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
We need to get things right, right at the bottom of the hill. We need to be in the standing attack position, we need to have selected the right gear for the hill climb and we need to use smooth throttle control to apply the power nice and evenly so that we don’t get unwanted wheel stands or wheel spin. If we do, you’ve either got to back off the throttle a little bit or perhaps slip the clutch a little bit to keep the momentum going forwards.
At the bottom of a hill, it’s important to be standing so that we can use the suspension in our legs to absorb any of the bumps at the base of the hill so that we can get a smooth run at the hill.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
However, sometimes the hill gets so steep that you haven’t got much choice but to sit down. What you want to try and do is sit down up near the front of the seat rather than down the back so that you avoid unwanted wheel stands.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
Most hills however though, you’re going to want to avoid using first gear as it’s just too slow and the power delivery is too abrupt and you tend to get wheel stands and too much wheel spin and it’s too difficult. So most of the time you want to attack hills in at least second gear. Some hills however you’ll be able to take in third gear or fourth gear.
Momentum is crucial when hill climbing. It’s really important to keep a reasonable speed up. If you slow down too much, you tend to get much more wheel spin and it’s hard to keep control and balance and you tend to run into every single obstacle on the track, whereas if you go just a little bit faster, it will allow you to ride over obstacles that you would have otherwise been stopped by.
So what we’ve got to do to get that happening is use really smooth throttle control combined with smooth clutch use. If you feel the bike slowing down a bit you can try rolling on a bit more throttle and perhaps slipping the clutch a little bit and you keep driving forward without wheel spin.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
If you have to do an emergency stop part way up a hill because something is in your way or you’re wheel spinning or something like that,
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
I recommend you just stop the bike and stall it. Let the clutch out, no matter what gear you’re in, back the throttle off and pull the brakes on and then just sit there and work out what your best avenue of attack is from there. Quite often, the best way to do it is to get off the bike, turn it around and head back down the hill and have another go if you really need to get to the top of the hill. Sitting there needlessly wheel spinning often gets you nowhere and just wrecks the track.
Group of motorcycle riders, in bush setting demonstrate riding technique:
I think it’s really important that riders always ride with a partner and three is better than two for safety reasons. That leaves you someone to help the injured rider while someone else can go and get help and it’s particularly important when you’ve got big hill climbs in the way too because the chances of you crashing and needing assistance are far greater.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
So in summary it’s important to remember at all times when hill climbing, to approach the hill in a smooth manner in the right gear, look where you want to go,
Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
(continued) up the hill, away from the logs and rocks and obstacles and use smooth throttle control and at all times, try to stay on the track. By doing that, not only will you be safer, but you’ll be looking after the environment as well.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
So that’s it for hill climbing. Hopefully we’ve given you some tips that can help you get to the top safely.
Closing title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
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Hill descending
Opening title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
Motorcycle riding instructor, stands behind motorbike in bush setting talking about hill descending and safety:
You might think that going down a hill is quite simple. However, there’s some important tips that you need to take on board to make sure that you can get down safely.
Mid shot of Motorcycle rider and (with on-screen graphic) demonstrating riding technique:
The first thing you want to make sure you’re doing is standing at all times. It helps the bike to glide over the bumps so that you don’t get bashed around and thrown about by the bumps. You’ve got to stand from the top to the bottom of the hill and keep your weight back so that you’re
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) less likely to get thrown over the handle bars.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
It’s also vital that you’re really smooth in your use of the brakes, particularly the back brake. The front brake when going down hill does almost all the work. The back brake has very little weight on it and if you push too much pressure on the pedal, it’s prone to lock up, upset the balance of the bike and have you careering out of control in no time.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
If either of the brakes start to lock up, it’s important that you smoothly release the brake and then smoothly reapply it so that you don’t build up too much speed before you regain control.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
There are several benefits to standing. As well as being able to use the suspension in your legs to absorb some of the bumps, you get better vision and you can see further down the hill so you can pick a nice smooth line as opposed to a rough one.
Also it helps your balance using the brakes smoothly also helps you to avoid locking up the wheels,
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) which has the added benefit of looking after our tracks and causing less damage.
Series of shots: Motorcycle rider in bush setting demonstrates riding technique:
It’s important to approach the descent in the gear that you want to go down in and generally that will be a low gear like first gear or second gear. Also, it’s important that we approach at a reasonable speed so that if there’s a problem part way down and we need to stop, we can.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
(continued) It’s no good tearing off the top of the hill at nigh speed finding out halfway down you’re going to fast to stop.
Group of motorcycle riders, in bush setting demonstrate riding technique:
So getting down hill safely, approach at a sensible speed in the right gear, be standing, look well ahead, use smooth brake control and keep on rolling.
Return to instructor with motorcycle:
So that’s it for this week guys, until next time, ride safe.
Closing title slide: RIDE for TOMORROW
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